Do radiator replacement problems track days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station across states?
A weak hint, not a firm finding: across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about radiator replacement run higher where days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station causes this repair.
State reports of this repair against days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station, one dot per stateEach dot is a state: how much more (or less) than expected this repair is reported there, adjusted for the makes sold in the state, against its days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station
How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station; higher up means more complaints for this repair than expected (1.0 is average). If the dots climb to the right, reports of this repair rise with days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station.
What it shows: States with more days per year with a high of 100f or more, median station tend to sit higher on the chart across 32 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (annual), joined to NHTSA owner complaints, downloaded 2026-10-06 · 32 states. Chart: CalcScrape · calcscrape.com
The 10 states with the most days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station (Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Missouri): reports of this repair run 12% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 9 of 10 are above expected. The 10 with the least (Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida): 1% below, and 5 of 10 are above expected.
Exceptions: California is among the highest in days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station but reports below expected; Minnesota (31% above expected) and Wisconsin (21% above expected) are among the lowest but above expected.
Split the states into thirds: the third with the least days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station runs 0% above what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 6% above, and the third with the most 12% above. It steps up steadily.
For days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 5. Take out any single state and the days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station pattern still holds.
Weak spot: compare only states with similar on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, tons per year per 1,000 residents and the pattern keeps about 58% of its strength, so part of it may come from on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, tons per year per 1,000 residents instead of days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station.
For days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station, of the 5 exception states, 0 read the same way for the other parts of the system (so that is the system there, not this repair) and 5 are specific to this repair.
Days above 100F push batteries, cooling systems, belts, hoses and tires past what ordinary summer heat does.